<chapter id="h2-importance"><title>L'importanza della parola di Dio</title>
<para>Understanding God's word is of great importance to all who call on God's 
name.  Study of the Bible is one of the primary ways that we learn to 
communicate with God.</para>

<sect1 id="h2-importance-unique"><title>Un libro eccezionale</title>
<para>The Bible stands alone in many ways.  It is unique in:</para>

<itemizedlist>
<listitem>
<para>
popularity.  Bible sales in North America: more than $500 million per 
year. The Bible is both the the all-time and year-to-year best seller!
</para>
</listitem>
<listitem>
<para>
authorship.  It was written over a period of 1600 years by 40 different 
authors from different backgrounds, yet reads as if written by one.
</para>
</listitem>
<listitem>
<para>
preservation.  F. F. Bruce in <emphasis>Are New Testament Documents 
Reliable?</emphasis> compares New Testament manuscripts with other ancient 
texts:
</para>
</listitem>
</itemizedlist>
<table id="h2-importance-manuscripts-table">
<title>Paragone di manoscritti del nuovo testamento con altri testi antichi.</title>
<tgroup cols="5">
<thead>
<row>
<entry>Opera</entry>
<entry>Epoca di scrittura</entry>
<entry>Copia più antica</entry>
<entry>Differnza di tempo</entry><entry>Numero delle copie</entry>
</row></thead>
<tbody>
<row>
<entry>Erodoto</entry>
<entry>448-428 A.C.</entry><entry>900 D.C.</entry>
<entry>1300 anni</entry><entry>8
</entry></row>
<row>
<entry>Tacito</entry>
<entry>100 D.C.</entry><entry>1100 D.C.</entry>
<entry>1000 anni</entry><entry>20
</entry></row>
<row>
<entry><emphasis>De bello gallico</emphasis> di Giulio Cesare</entry>
<entry>50-58 A.C.</entry><entry>900 D.C.</entry>
<entry>950 anni</entry><entry>10
</entry></row>
<row>
<entry><emphasis>Ab urbe condita</emphasis> di Livio</entry>
<entry>59 A.C. - 17 D.C.</entry><entry>900 D.C.</entry>
<entry>900 anni</entry><entry>20
</entry></row>
<row>
<entry>Nuovo testamento</entry>
<entry>40 D.C. - 100 D.C.</entry><entry>130 D.C. manoscritti parziali 350 D.C. manoscritti integrali</entry> <entry>30 - 310 anni</entry><entry>5.00 greci &amp; 10.000 latini
</entry></row>
</tbody></tgroup></table>
<para>Ten copies of Caesar's <emphasis>Gallic War</emphasis> exist, the earliest 
of which was copied 900 years after Caesar wrote the original, etc.  For the 
New Testament we have full manuscripts dating to 350 A. D., papyri 
containing most of the New Testament from the 200s, and a fragment of John's 
gospel from 130 A. D.  How many manuscripts do we have to compare to each 
other? 5,000 in Greek and 10,000 in Latin!  </para>
<blockquote><attribution>Textual critic F. J. A. Hort, "The New Testament in the Original Greek", 
vol. 1 p561, Macmillan Co., quoted in <emphasis>Questions of Life</emphasis> 
p.  25-26</attribution><para>"Per quanto riguarda l'esattezza e la completezza il testo del nuovo 
testamento è unico e irraggiungibile tra tutti gli altri testi di prosa 
dell'Anitichità." </para></blockquote>
</sect1>

<sect1 id="h2-importance-breathed"><title>Un libro ispirato da Dio</title>
<para><emphasis>Heb.4:12 </emphasis>"<emphasis>For the word of God is living and 
active...  </emphasis>" Jesus said <emphasis>(Mt.4:4),</emphasis> 
"<emphasis>It is written, Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every 
word that proceeds [lit., is proceeding] from the mouth of God.</emphasis>" 
As we read the Bible, God's Spirit is there to speak it to our hearts in a 
continually-fresh way.
</para>
<para>2 Tm 3,16 dichiara: "<emphasis>Tutta la scrittura infatti è ispirata da 
Dio.</emphasis>" Ci credi? Prima di rispondere prendi in considerazione la 
posizione di Gesù verso le Scritture.  </para>
<blockquote><attribution>John R.W. Stott, <emphasis>Christ the Controversialist</emphasis>, 
InterVarsity Press 1978, pp.93-95 </attribution><para>He referred to the human authors, but took it for granted that behind them 
all was a single divine Author.  He could equally say 'Moses said' or 'God 
said' (Mk.7:10). He could quote a comment of the narrator in Genesis 2:24 as 
an utterance of the Creator Himself (Mt.19:4-5).  Similarly He said, 'Well 
did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written', when what He went 
on to quote is the direct speech of the Lord God (Mk.7:6 &amp; Is.29:13).  
It is from Jesus Himself that the New Testament authors have gained their 
conviction of the dual authorship of Scripture.  For them it was just as 
true to say that 'God spoke of old to our fathers by the prophets' (Heb.1:1) 
as it was to say that 'men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God' (2 
Pe.1:21).  God did not speak in such a way as to obliterate the personality 
of the human authors, nor did men speak in such a way as to corrupt the Word 
of the divine Author.  God spoke.  Men spoke.  Neither truth must be allowed 
to detract from the other. ...
</para>
<para>
This, then, was Christ's view of the Scriptures.  Their witness was God's 
witness. The testimony of the Bible is the testimony of God.  And the chief 
reason why the Christian believes in the divine origin of the Bible is that 
Jesus Christ Himself taught it.  </para></blockquote>

<para>2 Tm 3,16 continua: "<emphasis>è utile per insegnare, convincere, correggere 
e formare alla giustizia, perchè l'uomo di Dio sia completo e ben preparato 
per ogni opera buona.</emphasis>" Se accettiamo che la Bibbia è veramente 
Dio che si rivolge a noi, allora ne consegue che sarà la nostra guida in 
tutte le questioni di fede e di condotta di vita. </para>
</sect1>

<sect1 id="h2-importance-works"><title>Un libro che funziona</title>
<para>
Quale sarà l'effetto dello studio della Bibbia per te? 1 Ts 2,13 dice che la 
bibbia "<emphasis>opera in voi che credete.</emphasis>" Accanto ad ogni 
scrittura, inserisci l'opera che la parola compie.
</para>
<table id="h2-importance-results-table">
<title>Quale effetto ha lo studio della Bibbia per i cristiani?</title>
<tgroup cols="2">
<thead>
<row>
<entry>Riferimento</entry>
<entry>Effetto</entry>
</row>
</thead>
<tbody>
<row>
<entry>Ef 5,26
</entry>
<entry>purifica -- "... purificandola per mezzo dell'acqua e della parola."
</entry>
</row>
<row>
<entry>
At 20,32
</entry>
<entry>
builds up -- " ...the word of His grace, which is able to build you up and 
to give you the inheritance among all those who are sanctified.  "
</entry>
</row>
<row>
<entry>
Rm 15,4
</entry>
<entry>
consola -- "perché in virtù della perseveranza e della consolazione che ci 
vengono dalle Scritture teniamo viva la nostra speranza."
</entry>
</row>

<row>
<entry>
Rm 10,17
</entry>
<entry>
da fede -- "La fede dipende dunque dalla predicazione e la predicazione a 
sua volta si attua per la parola di Cristo."
</entry>
</row>

<row>
<entry>
1 Cor 10,11
</entry>
<entry>
ammonisce -- "Tutte queste cose però accadero a loro come esempio, e sono 
state scritte per ammonimento nostro"
</entry>
</row>

<row>
<entry>
Mt 4,4
</entry>
<entry>
nutre -- "Ma egli rispose: 'Sta scritto: Non solo di pane vivrà l'uomo ma di 
ogni parola che esce dalla bocca di Dio.'"
</entry>
</row>
</tbody>
</tgroup>
</table>
</sect1>

<sect1 id="h2-importance-liberates"><title>Un libro che rende liberi</title>
<para>
Jn.8:32 "<emphasis>and you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make 
you free.</emphasis>"This is usually quoted by itself.  Is this a 
conditional or unconditional promise? Would it apply to all kinds of 
knowledge? Find the answers by examining the first half of the sentence, in 
v.31. "<emphasis>If you abide in My word, then you are truly disciples of 
Mine... </emphasis>"</para>
<para>Vediamo che questa è una promessa condizionata che parla in particolare 
della verità della parola di Dio.</para>

<para>La parola greca per "vento" usato in Ef 4,14 parla di un <emphasis>vento 
violento.</emphasis> "<emphasis>Questo affinché non siamo più come fanciulli 
sballottati dalle onde e portati qua e là da qualsiasi vento di dottrina 
...</emphasis>" Un effetto dello studio della Bibbia sta nel fatto che 
saremo radicati nella verità col risultato che non saremo facilmente 
"soffiati via."</para>

<para><emphasis>E Gesù rispose loro: </emphasis>"<emphasis>Voi vi ingannate, non 
conoscendo né le Scritture, né la potenza di Dio.</emphasis>"Mt 22,29</para>
<para>Quali sono le due cose di cui abbiamo bisogno per essere liberati 
dall'errore?</para>
<itemizedlist>
<listitem><para>La parola di Dio</para></listitem>
<listitem><para>La forza di Dio </para></listitem>
</itemizedlist>
</sect1>

<sect1 id="h2-importance-wars"><title>Un libro che da battaglia</title>
<para>
Ef 6,10-18 è un immagine del nostro armamento spirituale.</para>
<table id="h2-importance-armor-table">
<title>Armamento spirituale</title>
<tgroup cols="2">
<thead>
<row>
<entry>Domanda</entry>
<entry>Risposta</entry>
</row></thead>
<tbody>
<row><entry>Quante delle armi elencate nel testo sono armi difensive?</entry><entry>5</entry></row>
<row><entry>Quante sono offensive?</entry><entry>One</entry></row>
<row><entry>Quale? </entry><entry>La parola - <foreignphrase>rhema</foreignphrase></entry></row>
</tbody></tgroup></table>
</sect1>

<sect1 id="h2-importance-exhortations"><title>Esortazioni</title>
<para>
2 Tm 2,15 <emphasis><quote>Sforzati di presentarti davanti a Dio come un 
uomo degno di approvazione, un lavoratore che non ha di che vergognarsi, uno 
scrupoloso dispensatore della parola della verità.</quote></emphasis>
</para>
<para>
Col 3,16 <emphasis><quote>La parola di Cristo dimori tra voi 
abbondantemente; ammaestratevi e ammonitevi con ogni sapienza, cantando a 
Dio di cuore e con gratitudine salmi, inni e cantici 
spirituali.</quote></emphasis>
</para>

<para>Se siete ricchi di qualcosa, quanto ne avete? </para>
<para>
Non poco!</para>

<para>
Eccl.12:11-12 "<emphasis>The words of wise men are like goads, and masters 
of these collections are like well-driven nails; they are given by one 
Shepherd.  But beyond this, my son, be warned: the writing of many books is 
endless, and excessive devotion to books is wearying to the 
body.</emphasis>"
</para> </sect1>

<sect1 id="h2-importance-once"><title>Appendice: <quote>Una volta per tutte</quote></title>
<blockquote>
<attribution>John R. W. Stott, <emphasis>Christ the Controversialist,</emphasis> 
InterVarsity Press 1978, pp.106-107</attribution> <para>The truth regarding the finality of God's initiative in Christ is conveyed 
by one word of the Greek Testament, namely the adverb 
<foreignphrase>hapax</foreignphrase> and 
<foreignphrase>ephapax</foreignphrase>. It is usually translated in the 
Authorized Version once, meaning once for all. It is used of what is so done 
as to be of perpetual validity and never need repetition, and is applied in 
the NT to both revelation and redemption.  Thus, Jude refers to the faith 
which was once for all delivered to the saints (Jude 3), and Romans says, 
"<emphasis>Christ also died for sins once for all</emphasis>" (Rom.6:10, see 
also 1 Pe.3:18; Heb.9:26-28). </para> <para>
Thus we may say that God has spoken once for all and Christ has suffered 
once for all.  This means that the Christian revelation and the Christian 
redemption are both alike in Christ complete.  Nothing can be added to 
either without being derogatory to Christ...  These are the two rocks on 
which the Protestant Reformation was built -- Gods revealed word without the 
addition of human traditions and Christ's finished work without the addition 
of human merits.  The Reformers great watchwords were <foreignphrase>sola 
scriptura</foreignphrase> for our authority and <foreignphrase>sola 
gratia</foreignphrase> for our salvation.</para>
</blockquote>
</sect1>

<sect1 id="h2-importance-supplement"><title>Supplemento: Programmi per la lettura della bibbia</title> <para> Here are some easy programs to systematically read your Bible.  You can do 
more than one at a time if you like, for instance #1 with #4, or #2 with 
#5.  Vary the program from year to year to keep it fresh!
</para>
<orderedlist numeration="arabic">
<listitem><para>Nuovo Testamento in un anno: leggi un capitolo ogni giorno, 5 giorni alla 
settimana.</para></listitem>
<listitem><para>Proverbi in un mese: leggi un capitolo dei Proverbi, corrispondente al 
giorno del mese, ogni giorno.</para></listitem>
<listitem><para>Salmi in un mese: leggi 5 salmi all'intervallo di 30 ogni giorno, per 
esempio: il 20 leggi Sal 20, 50, 80, 110 e 140.</para></listitem>
<listitem><para>Salmi e Proverbi in 6 mesi: leggi i Salmi e i Proverbi un capitolo al 
giorno.</para></listitem>
<listitem><para>Antico testamento senza Salmi e Proverbi in 2 anni: Se leggi un capitolo al 
giorno dall'antico testamento, tralasciando Salmi e Proverbi, riuscirai a 
leggere l'antico testamento in 2 anni e 2 settimane.
</para></listitem>
</orderedlist>
</sect1>

</chapter>

